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Metta World Peace has torn meniscus in left knee

Sean Highkin, USA TODAY Sports
8:10 p.m. MST March 26, 2013

Los Angeles Lakers small forward Metta World Peace (15) goes for a loose ball during the first half of the game against the Washington Wizards at the Staples Center.(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports)

Story Highlights

Lakers forward Metta World Peace has suffered a torn left lateral meniscus

World Peace will return to Los Angeles for further evaluation

The Lakers have a one-game lead over the Jazz for eighth place in the Western Conference

The Los Angeles Lakers took a serious setback Tuesday, when the team announced forward Metta World Peace has a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee. World Peace was injured during the Lakers' loss Monday to the Golden State Warriors, and the team announced in a news release that an MRI showed a meniscus tear. He will be flown to Los Angeles — the Lakers are on the road to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday — for further evaluation before a timetable for his return is determined

The loss of World Peace comes at an inopportune time. The Lakers are clinging to a one-game lead on the Utah Jazz for the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, and with Pau Gasol finally healthy, coach Mike D'Antoni hoped to use the final weeks of the regular season to get his starting five reacquainted.

The loss of their starting small forward will likely force the Lakers to start Antawn Jamison alongside Earl Clark and Dwight Howard in the frontcourt. Not only will Jamison be playing out of position, but has the potential to take away one of the team's most consistent scoring options off the bench.

No return date for World Peace has been determined, but recent history has shown that meniscus tears should be treated with caution. In April 2012, Jeremy Lin had surgery to repair a torn meniscus, forcing him to miss the New York Knicks' first-round playoff series against the Heat. In 2010, Brandon Roy played for the Portland Trail Blazers in a playoff game 10 days after undergoing meniscus surgery, and it may have contributed to the premature demise of his career.

World Peace took an optimistic tone when discussing the injury on Twitter:

I can't wait to get backBut our team is so goodWe will win and get into the playoffs

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant tore the Achilles tendon in his left foot and will miss the rest of the season, including the playoffs. Flip through this gallery for more of the NBA's biggest current injuries. Richard Mackson, USA TODAY Sports